A. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an aircraft circuit breaker box and monitoring system.
B. Related Art
In most aircraft, circuit breakers are used to prevent overloading of electrical components and conductors. In general, if the current flowing through a particular conductor exceeds some predetermined level, the circuit breaker will “trip,” that is, automatically open, and interrupt the flow of current through the conductor to the connected component. The circuit breaker then needs to be reset before power is restored to the component.
Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) regulations require that the circuit breakers be accessible and resettable during flight. Typically, in order to meet these regulations, the circuit breakers are mounted in a panel that is visible to and within reaching distance of the pilot. In addition, each circuit breaker is labeled to allow the pilot to identify the component to which each circuit breaker corresponds. Typically, when a circuit breaker trips, a shaft of the circuit breaker elongates to display a contrasting color, which indicates that the circuit breaker has been tripped. When the circuit breaker is reset, the shaft is retracted and the contrasting color is no longer visible.
When the circuit breakers are combined with the large number of switches, instruments, and gauges contained in a typical cockpit, the cockpit can seem extremely cluttered. This can lead to pilot confusion and delay when a circuit breaker is tripped. It can also affect the pilot's operation of the other instruments.
Thus, there is a need for a structure for the circuit breakers that will reduce the clutter in the cockpit but still allow the circuit breakers to be accessible and able to be reset during flight.